The present invention relates to a vertical shotgun or rifle mount and, in particular, to a vertical shotgun or rifle mount for use in hunting boats which: (a) holds a shotgun or rifle in a vertical position with the muzzle of the shotgun or rifle pointing upward to prevent injury due to accidental discharge; (b) maintains the butt end of the shotgun or rifle stock above the bottom of the boat so that the stock does not get wet; (c) projects only a limited distance above the gunnel (gunwale) of the hunting boat so that the mounting bracket does not get in the way of the hunter when the hunter is moving the shotgun or rifle about to hunt; and (d) keeps the shotgun or rifle from getting lost if the hunting boat capsizes.
Hunting for water fowl, such as but not limited to duck hunting, is frequently carried out from within a hunting boat. While hunting boats may have other configurations, typically, hunting boats are flat bottomed boats with shallow side walls about thirteen inches in height. Over the years, there has been a need: for carrying shotguns or rifles in such boats that is safe so that injury does not occur if there is an accidental discharge of a shotgun or rifle; for keeping the shotguns or rifles from getting wet if there is water in the bottom of the boat; for providing a shotgun or rifle mount that does not interfere with the hunter when the shotgun or rifle is removed from the mount and in use; and for securing the shotgun or rifle to the boat so that the shotgun or rifle is not lost if the boat capsizes or is bumped into while traveling across the water. However, there are no gun mounts currently in use that provide these functions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,078, issued Apr. 8, 1975, and entitled "Portable Gun Rack" discloses a portable gun rack for mounting a gun in duck blinds, deer stands and the like. While suitable for mounting guns in duck blinds, deer stands and the like, the portable gun rack of the '078 patent is not suitable for mounting a gun in a shallow hunting boat. With the portable gun rack of the '078 patent receiving the butt end of the stock and the forward end portion of the gun stock to hold the gun in the rack, as shown in FIG. 1, and with the clamp for securing the rack to a duck blind or deer stand located at the upper end of the gun rack, the height of the portable gun rack of the '078 would be to great for mounting shotgun or rifle within a shallow hunting boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,878, issued Apr. 27, 1976, entitled "Gun Stand" discloses a portable gun stand to be mounted in the ground which engages the rifle at the butt end of the stock and near the forward end of the barrel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,423, issued May 16, 1978, and entitled "Rifle Stand" discloses a gun stand to be mounted in the ground which engages the butt end of the stock and a midportion of the stock. U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,971, issued Mar. 20, 1979, and entitled "Gun Caddy" discloses a gun stand to be mounted in the ground which engages the butt end of the stock and the barrel of the shotgun. U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,588, issued Jul. 3, 1979, and entitled "Apparatus for Supporting Sporting Guns During Testing Intervals" discloses a frame for supporting a gun in a downward inclined position and for cooling the gun barrel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,279, issued Jan. 7, 1992, and entitled "Gun Rack" discloses a gun rack to be attached to vertical surfaces which holds the gun in a horizontal position. U.K. patent application 2170994 A, published Aug. 20, 1986, and entitled "Gun Security Systems", discloses a lockable gun rack, to be attached to a vertical surface, which engages the gun at the butt end of the stock, at a midportion of the stock rearward of the trigger guard, and at the forward end of the barrel.